my modern artefact

Heirloom tomatoes have made their way to the market and so I decided to whip up a simple spaghetti dish with heirloom tomatoes, toasted bread crumbs, and mozzarella cheese. All A had to say was, and I quote, "this is fantasy pasta." The fresh tomatoes simmer down to a velvety sauce and the addition of the bread crumbs gives the pasta the comforting feel of a crunchy baked outer edge. I worked off a recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
1. Put a large pot of heavily salted water on to boil over high heat.
2. Toss about 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs with a teaspoon olive oil, spread them on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until golden brown.
3. Heat a large saute pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and add a sprig of rosemary, 1 tablespoon of thyme, and let them sizzle. Add 3 chopped shallots and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium and add 5 smashed garlic cloves and cook another 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Drop pasta in the water and cook until al dente.
5. Turn up the heat on the onions and add 2 cups of chopped ripened heirloom tomatoes with 2 pinches of salt and a couple turns of the pepper mill. Stir the tomatoes often and cook about 8 minutes until juices of tomatoes are released.
6. When pasta is al dente, drain reserving about a 1/2 of the pasta water and add both the pasta and the reserved water to the tomato sauce that has reduced. Toss well and cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes until the pasta water boils off. Turn off the heat and add 1/2 cup chopped basil, 1/2 cup cubed mozzarella, and 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs. Toss to combine and transfer to a warm pasta bowl.



[1-4. c. lynn]